ATLANTA — Students at Atlanta Public Schools will be able to envision a better future for the metro using the popular online game Minecraft.
Atlanta leaders and the school district are partnering together in the new challenge to offer students a chance to reimagine some of the city's major projects and buildings.
Students will learn how to envision a connected, equitable and sustainable future that "moves Atlanta forward without leaving anyone behind."
The challenge also allows students to simulate four different Atlanta landmarks using an education-based version of Minecraft.
John Howard, a fifth grader at Fickett Elementary School, stood alongside Mayor Andre Dickens to launch the Level Up Atlanta: Minecraft Student Build Challenge on Tuesday.
Howard said he uses Minecraft regularly for school projects. He added that the popular online game helps students learn important subjects taught in schools.
"There's math, science, reading, social studies, history, art, architecture, building, coding. That's the most important thing for next century, 22nd century," Howard said.
The iconic game has an open-world concept that allows players to explore their creativity while collaborating with their peers and problems. Students will use the game's education edition which is used as a tool in the classroom. The challenge will engage students on how to make their communities better using critical thinking skills.
"On the goals to make to reimagine Atlanta as a better place and to find real work problems such as affordable housing, food problems, homelessness, sustainability, climate change, etc., things that have been happening in our world today," Howard said.
Howard added that the challenge will help students across the district be risk-takers.
"It's stimulating young minds and trying to get them creative, open-minded, trying to be risk takers. Like they said, there's no bad ideas. There's just mistakes that kids need to work on," the fifth-grader said.
APS scholars who choose to participate in the challenge can submit their reimagined proposals for consideration starting on Wednesday through November 30.
The school system and the city will feature finalists' work in January 2024.
To learn more about the challenge, click here.